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The Labour Court in Johannesburg will hear the application of the United National Transport Union (UNTU) tomorrow, to ask for an order that will compel the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to comply with the terms of a collective agreement it signed with parties in the PRASA Bargaining Forum.

Although PRASA and UNTU signed this agreement almost two years ago, the passenger rail service is simply pulling up its shoulders, citing its dire financial situation as the reason why it cannot adhere to the terms of the agreement.

The 19 disputes include; the 45-hour weekly averaging, sick leave, transport for nightshift employees, uniforms and discrepancies in the payment of overtime, salaries disparity and alignment, the acting policy and performance management systems for junior officials.

Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, says these disputes has played a key factor in the demoralisation of PRASA employees and their perception that their employer only made empty promises where their wellbeing and financial growth is concerned.

“Over the past two years with the revelations in the report of the former Public Protector, Adv. Thuli Madonsela, and with the first of PRASA’s controversial contracts being set aside by the Gauteng North High Court, PRASA’s employees learned of at least R16 billion that has been irregularly spent by the individuals within the passenger rail agency.

“Just imagine what difference that R16 billion could have made to the fate of the PRASA employee and to the improvement of the whole railway network infrastructure, basically the working conditions of each employee which is getting more dangerous with every passing day,” Harris says.

UNTU accuses PRASA of signing the collective agreement in bad faith knowing that it had no intent of implementing it within the stipulated timeframes.

Lindikhaya Zide, the Acting Group Chief Executive of PRASA, earlier acknowledged that PRASA was obliged to implement the 19 disputes, but said that the company was not able to meet the timeframes. The timeframes, as was set out in the collective agreement signed in April 2016, has already lapsed.

Issued by UNTU